Cover (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

A name often eclipsed by history, Félix Resurrección Hidalgo remains to be one of our country's most important artists

A friend of Jose Rizal's and a major contributor to Philippine artistic tradition, Félix Resurrección Hidalgo is often overshadowed by his contemporaries. Hailing from a lauded family and an ilustrado, Hidalgo's biography is not as renowned as that of Juan Luna or Fernando Amorsolo. Yet, his contributions are significant, especially as an impressionist painter in the 19th century. Born in Binondo in 1853, Hidalgo was the third of seven children. Much like other wealthy Filipinos of the time, Hidalgo travelled to Europe to pursue further studies, earning knowledge in fields such as artistry, law, and philosophy. 

Read more: The Art And Life Of Leopoldo Aguinaldo

Of course, his talent is best recognised in the field of art, where his paintings now fetch incredible sums, each acknowledged as important cultural heritage pieces. His travels throughout Europe inspired him plenty, and he even gained recognition in contests abroad. Plenty of his work focused on portraits, but his creativity extended to landscape art and nature. 

Tatler Asia
Above La Barca (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

The emotion in his pieces expresses the range of his talent. Take, for example, his 1887 painting, La Barca ("The Boat"). Dark and dangerous, it gives its onlooker an undercurrent of fearfulness, with the boat's passengers, quite literally, on the brink of calamity. Meanwhile, his painting of La vendedora de lanzonez ("The Lanzones Vendor"), finished just a year before La Barca, shows serenity through its play of light and highlights a young girl staring straight into the viewer's eyes. In 1887, Hidalgo joined the Exposicion General de las Islas Filipinas in Madrid, where he presented two paintings, one of which—Laguna Estigia—received a gold medal

One of his most notable works is Las Virgenes Cristianas Expuestas al Populacho, which translates to "Christian Virgins Exposed to the Population". It gives a disturbing glimpse into the reality of the male gaze and doubtless the rampant sexism of the time. 

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Above La vendedora de lanzones (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Though Hidalgo was not as involved as others in the revolutionary or reformist movements in the Philippines, the artist inspired nationalism among his fellow Filipinos through his talent. A friend of many popular heroes, Hidalgo was well-acquainted with not just Rizal but also with Marcelo del Pilar and Mariano Ponce. He became incredibly renowned in the Philippines alongside painter Juan Luna, and the two were even the subject of Rizal's Brindis Speech. In it, Rizal gives a toast to both Luna and Hidalgo and argues that genius and glory are not dictated by one country or race. In this way, Filipinos were taught to be proud of their fellow Filipinos and realised that they were not second to the Spaniards. 

See also: Fashion and Art, The Two Worlds of Rosenthal Tee

 

Tatler Asia
Above Las Virgenes Cristianas Expuestas al Populacho (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Towards the end of his life, Hidalgo had settled in a quiet apartment in Paris, France. Though his home was humble, he used it to welcome both Filipino artists and revolutionaries. In fact, he spent more of his life living in Paris than he did in the Philippines. One year before his death, he travelled back to his homeland to visit his sick mother. Only upon his return to Europe did Hidalgo fall quite ill; he made his way to Spain in the hopes of recovery but died at the age of 53 near Barcelona. Though Hidalgo's life was cut short, his legacy lives on in the richness of his artwork and the movement it inspired among Filipino artists. 

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